Cumberland

County

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754, ed. R. Sedgwick, 1970
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Background Information

Number of voters:

about 4,000

Elections

DateCandidate
8 Feb. 1715JAMES LOWTHER
 GILFRID LAWSON
16 Apr. 1722SIR CHRISTOPHER MUSGRAVE
 GILFRID LAWSON
 James Lowther
21 Aug. 1727JAMES LOWTHER
 GILFRID LAWSON
15 May 1734SIR JAMES LOWTHER
 SIR JOSEPH PENNINGTON
21 May 1741SIR JAMES LOWTHER
 SIR JOSEPH PENNINGTON
8 Jan. 1745SIR JOHN PENNINGTON vice Sir Joseph Pennington, deceased
21 July 1747SIR JAMES LOWTHER
 SIR JOHN PENNINGTON

Main Article

Cumberland politics were dominated by three Whig families, who owned the principal baronies: the Lowthers, Viscounts Lonsdale, the Howards, earls of Carlisle, and the Seymours, dukes of Somerset. Each of these families had its own sphere of influence, the Lowthers normally recommending at least one Member for the county, the Howards one for Carlisle, and the Seymours one for Cockermouth. In the county elections Sir William Lowther shared the representation with a Tory, Gilfrid Lawson, from 1708 to 1734, except in 1722, when Sir Christopher Musgrave, another Tory, joined Lawson to oust Lowther in the last contested election for 46 years. The Lowther-Lawson compromise was revived in 1727, but in 1733 Lord Carlisle showed signs of intending to put up his son, Lord Morpeth, for the county at the next general election. On this Lord Lonsdale suggested to Sir William Lowther that they should assist Lawson to keep out Morpeth. He pointed out that Lawson, having ‘broke with all other considerable people in the county’,

was willing to keep upon good terms with us to whom he knew he must owe his election if he was chose. This was just the very thing I had in mind to have, for he was in possession of the county and as the terms we were on with him were rather private than public, the bringing him in could not be called bringing in two upon the same interest (which would have created envy), but was in effect doing so.

In the event Morpeth did not stand, while Lawson retired, giving his interest to Sir Joseph Pennington, a connexion of the Lowthers. Thenceforth the Lowthers controlled both seats, replacing Pennington at his death by his son without the customary county meeting to approve the candidates, which for some years was discontinued.1

Author: Romney R. Sedgwick

Notes

  • 1. This account is based on B. Bonsall, Sir Jas. Lowther and Cumb. and Westmld. Elections.